 DERIDDER - The Board of Directors at Beauregard Electric wanted an individual with local experience and extensive knowledge of the cooperative’s power delivery system when seeking a replacement for outgoing General Manager Bill Schmidt. The directors didn’t have to venture far to find Schmidt’s successor.
Kevin Turner, BECi’s former Vice President of Operations and Construction Services, was recently selected as the locally owned cooperative’s new General Manager. Schmidt recently resigned his position to relocate closer to family in the upper Midwest.
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All the directors agreed that BECi members would be best served by someone who had demonstrated their deep commitment to the co-op and the members, and who had a keen sense of what the members want and what the members need,” said BECi Board President Dale Peterson. “Kevin brings exactly the kind of local experience and dedication to the co-op we were looking for.”
Turner has served in various capacities at BECi over the past 17 years and has amassed a wide range of experience in the day-to-day operations. He said that meeting the particularly difficult challenges presented by Hurricanes Rita and Ike greatly expanded his knowledge base and increased his confidence not only in his own abilities but the abilities of co-op employees as well. “
I feel I have a broad perspective of how a cooperative functions, not just from the view of one department but from many different aspects. And in dealing with storms and hurricanes and other emergencies, I’ve seen how our employees react to these situations in a positive and decisive way, which is a big advantage.”
In his most recent role as VP of Operations and Construction Services, Turner was responsible for the safe and efficient construction, operation and maintenance of the co-op’s system, including warehousing, line materials, vehicles and the mechanic shop.
Turner, who holds an associate degree in industrial electronics from Sowela Technical Community College, began work at BECi as a building maintenance technician and was promoted to apparatus technician in 1994. He also held the position of supervisor of metering and substation control systems for six years.
Regarding the future of the cooperative and its members, Turner said his overriding concern is that congress might soon take action that could make electrical power become a luxury item.
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At the present time, coal is the most economic form of generating power, but if congress mandates emissions standards that are too rigorous or adopts more expensive renewable energy policies and all the costly construction it takes to bring that ‘green power’ to the consumer, electricity could increase 40 or 50 percent in just five to 10 years from now,” Turner said. “We will continue to do what we can to encourage energy efficiency on the part of our members while making sure our elected officials hear our concerns and enact sound, realistic policies.”
Turner said he is also concerned about the general state of the economy and the ever-increasing operating and maintenance costs.
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We have the obligation and responsibility to make sure our system is reliable and well-maintained, but the reality is that the costs continue to rise for everyone,” Turner said. “We have to continue to look at new, more efficient ways of doing business. But that’s a challenge I welcome and I know our staff is eager to get started.”
Turner resides in Grant with his wife, Pylla and two children, Christa and Lance.
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